The Polish Government want the Polish language taught in the Irish education system, their Foreign Minister has said.

Mr Witold Waszczykowski had talks in Dublin with his counterpart, Charlie Flanagan, and later met Education Minister, Richard Bruton. He said he was determined to keep lobbying for more recognition for the Polish language and culture in Ireland.

Mr Flanagan said there are 150,000 Polish people living in Ireland and they are making a great contribution to the country. He said 700 people did Polish in the Leaving Certificate last year and he looked forward to increased cultural and trade links between the two countries.

Mr Waszczykowski said Polish people living in Ireland were “good citizens” and he said he was determined to keep lobbying for greater recognition of their culture and language, especially in the education system. “I think they deserve that Polish culture is cultivated here,” the Minister told reporters.

Irish government sources said the Education Department will publish a new strategy on modern language teaching early in the New Year. This will look at how best to support young people who are native speakers of a large number of languages, including Polish, and will also look at how best to harness this advantage to Ireland’s cultural and economic advantage.